Improvement in sewing-machines



I. M. SINGER. w g Machine.

No; 14,475. Patented March 13. 1856.

Z v 'Invflvr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

lSAAC M. SINGER, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.-

. IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 1,475, dated March18, 185th placed; and Fig. 2, a vertical section taken at the line A aof Fig. 1., g

The same letters indicate like parts in both the figures.

My invention relates to an improi' ement in the feeding-motion ofsewing-machines, by

which the cloth or other substance to be sewed is held in a distendedcondition or in a crimped condition while being sewed, so that whensewed it may be stretched without straining the seam, or by which thematerial can be made shorter by the seam or gathered up, as it issometimes technically termed; and to-this end my said invention consistsin combining in one sewing-machine two feeding-wheels or equivalentstherefor moving'with differential velocities-that is, the one forward:of the needle-moving [faster over agreater space-or slower over a lessspace than the one back of the needle-that is, the forward one movingfaster or slower than the rear one, so that the cloth or other substanceto be sewed shall be distended or gathered or puckered up where the seamisbeing formed.

' The accompanying drawings. represent so much of one of the well-knownsewingqna chines as is deemed necessary to a clear comprehension of mysaid improvement; and in the said drawings (4 represents the table 0which the cloth to be sewed is placed, with the usual aperture, b, inwhich the eye-pointed needle 0 works to penetrate the cloth and form thestitches, whetherin connection with a;shuttle oranyof' the knowninstruments for that purpose. The machine is also provided with theusualfeeding-wheel, d, and pressure pade on the lower; end of a sliding bar,f, which is forced down by a spring, g, to press the cloth onto theperiphery of the feed wheeh; All. these parts, together with themechanism for operating the needle, the shuttle, or other con;

caten'ating instrument, and Yfor operating the lever II, whichcommunicates the intermittent feeding motion to the feed-wheel, are wellknown and do not require to be described, as

they may be-constructed' in any suitable man- ,ner known to personsskilled in sewmg-Jnachines; but the vertical plane of the axis of thefeeding-wheel (Z should-be placed forward of the needle; and back of theneedle there is a second wfeeding-whecl, d, constructed and mountedinthe samemanner as the otheljand to the pressure-pad e is attached aspring-p e, which extends over the second feed-wheel,

d, to press the cloth onto the periphery thereo so tliat the cloth orother-substance to be sewed is gripped and held "by the twofeed wheelsand pressure-pads, one forward and the other back of the needle, and-asthe second-- pressure-pad, e, is in itself a spring, either of the padscan yield independently of the other to adapt themselves to varyingthicknesses of.

cloth or other substance. N ow, as the object I is either to distend orpucker up the clothbetween the two feeding-wheels, so that after theseam has been completed in the former case the cloth may be stretchedwithout straining the thread or threads forming the seam, and

in the, latter the cloth may be gathered up and made shorter by thescam, the two feedingwheels are moved with different velocities.

This is effected by having a spur-wheel, a, on each of the feed-wheels,and these two spur wheels engage another wheel, j, which turns on thefulcrum-pin k of the lever h,which carries a spring-ratchet hand, Z,that engages the cogs of the wheels j, so that as the lever'is vibratedin the usual manner an intermittent motion is imparted 'to the wheel j,and thence vto the two feed-wheels in the same direction;

and hence it will be seen that if the spur-wheel i on the feed-wheel abe of less diameter than the one on the feed-wheel d, the periphery ofthe. feed-wheel (2' will travel faster than the periphery of thedeed-wheel d, and hence that the cloth wiill be distended between thetwo feed-wheels while the seam isbeingformed; but if the wheel '2' onthe feed-wheel dbe smallertha n the one on the cod-wheel d,- then therear feed-wheel will travelwith the greatest velocity, and'hence thecloth will be puck-' eredupbetweenthe two fced-wheels where the seam isbeing formed. By simply shittingthe'ftwo feedwheels with theirspur-wheels, or

v shifting thespur-wheels or the feed-wheels, the

so that the axis one or the other of the two specified effects can beproduced at pleasure; The differential motion of the two feed-wh'e'lsmay be varied at pleasure to any degree desired by substituting wheelsof suitable diameter.

To accommodate the shifting of the wneels 2' i on the feed-wheels andmake the wheelj engage both, the fulcrum-pin k is attached to a plate,m, secured to the frame by a screw, 11-, passing through anelongated'slot in the plate, of the wheel may be shifted at pleasure. r

Instead of the wheel j, which engages the two wheels 2' z, to operatethe two feed-wheels, there may be one lever and ratchet-or equivalenttherefor for each feed-wheel, and each lever connected with an arm, 0,of the rockshaft p by a link, q, withan adjustable nut, so

. that the relative motions of ,the 'two feedwheels may be varied in anydegree and at all times; but for the general purposes of sewing thekinds of seams to which my improve- I ment is applicable, :1 determinedand fixed differential motion is the one best adapted.

It will be obvious to the mechanician that many equvialent devices maybe. substituted for those I have above described without changing theprinciple of my invention; and it will also be obvious that my inventionis equally applicable to other modes of feeding as well as to'thefeed-wheels, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the use of feeding-wheels or to the modes described oimparting the differential motions.

\Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is.. k

The method, substantially as herein described, of distending orgathering up the cloth or other substance, where the needle operatesupon itto form the seam, by combining in a sewing-machine two distinctfeeding-wheels or their equivalents moving with a difi'erential motion,substantially as described.

ISAAC M. SINGER. \Vitnesses:

\VJI'. H. BISHOP, CHAS. A. \VILsoN.

